Prosecutors have confirmed that seven deaths are now under investigation in connection with Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH), adding two more cases to the growing scandal over contaminated water and ventilation systems.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said on Saturday that the deaths of 23-year-old Molly Cuddihy and Andrew Slorance, a former Scottish government civil servant, are among those being examined. Cuddihy, who had a rare bone cancer, died last August after infections weakened her organs. Slorance’s details have not been released.
Previously, four deaths were being investigated, including those of 10-year-old Milly Main, two other children, and 73-year-old Gail Armstrong, who contracted a fungal infection linked to pigeon droppings while being treated for lymphoma. The COPFS also received a report regarding 65-year-old Anthony Dynes, who died in 2021 after treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the hospital.
The revelations come as a public inquiry into the hospital’s failings nears its conclusion. The inquiry heard that serious infections in 84 child cancer patients, two of whom died, were probably caused by contaminated water. Health bosses have issued a “sincere and unreserved apology”, insisting the board is now “a very different organisation”.
Further controversy emerged after Scottish Labour released evidence suggesting political pressure was applied to open the hospital in April 2015, just before the general election. Labour leader Anas Sarwar accused the Scottish government of prioritising politics over patient safety, leading to “lies, deceit and cover-up”. First Minister John Swinney and his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon have denied these claims.
